Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.
There was a time when days of snow would have led to some sort of riding attempt on my Vespa scooter. I was young. Fresh. And stupid perhaps. No longer do I roll out the scooter into the fresh snow to “see how it does.” I know the answer to that question. Now I make different choices.
Regarding the question, “Is this a good idea?” I’m leaning towards no.
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Dogs Love SnowMy dogs love snow. They don’t seem to tire of it or complain about the weather. They have lessons to teach. Me, I’m complaining. Just when I thought the snow was done for the season I woke to six inches of the white stuff. If it wasn’t so beautiful I would have been despondent.
Lily raced through the garden, everything heavy with wet snow, with typical reckless abandon. As I trudged along I knew I was going for a ride. The temperature was right — a hair above freezing which would me the roads at worse would be slush or slightly snow covered. Perhaps even just wet. So one last winter riding adventure.
This must be the last real snow of the season. So of course it was time for a snowy Vespa ride.Continue Reading
Impervious to ColdUnlike our Belgian Sheepdog Lily, I’m not impervious to the cold and don’t while away the day collecting snow. While this winter has not been bad in terms of temperature or snowfall, it’s been tedious in the relentless cold and gray. I’m tired of winter.Continue Reading
Belgian Sheepdog,Groenendael TypeMy dog Junior. A Belgian Sheepdog as considered by the American Kennel Club. Known as a Belgian Shepherd in Europe. The black variety are Groenendaels, a short hair version are Malinois (a favorite of the US military and also used by the US Secret Service to guard the White House), and a brownish, longhair version called is called Tervuren.
Junior is a purebred dog. His sisters are competition champions. Had his ears remained erect, he may have been too and eventually led the life of a gigolo. We’re glad he had faulty ears and was able to come live with us.Continue Reading
Dreams of Vespa Scooter RidesThere are a lot of rides I want to make.
Less than 200 miles from my driveway and the Vespa will be winding along the Blue Ridge Parkway. And the Adirondacks are a mere 300 miles away. Celebrating the birth of a new year fuels speculation of things that may become real. Dreams and plans for tomorrow and beyond. But perhaps the new year is closer. Right in front of me.
Now.
Earlier I took a ride on New Year’s eve — late afternoon in the frigid air under a sunny sky — to see the ice sculptures in town that will be part of the First Night celebrations in State College, Pennsylvania.
The wandering ride into town required special attention because in places the snow was blowing making two-wheeled travel challenging.Continue Reading